The Advice of Shaykh Al-
Albaanee to Women who act
like men(By Salaf-Us-Salih)

Question:
O our Shaykh, we have heard
that some of the women present
within some of the universities,
schools, and colleges or some of
the women who deliver lectures,
(give) lessons or even recite the
Qur’aan specifically on the
morning broadcasts (we have
heard that) these women’s
husbands are never able to enjoy
them because they are
Mutarajjilaat (i.e. they imitate men
or are masculine). We would like
some clarity from you as it relates
to this question.
Answer:
The principle as it relates to this
issue is a poor upbringing. From
the reasons for the poor
upbringing is the corruption of the
society and corruption of the
curriculums which the education
of the men and women or male
and female youth is predicated
upon their foundation. That is
because the female students in
the schools, I am almost certain,
have not heard the likes of his
(sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)
statement:
ﻟﻌﻦ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﺍﻟﺮﺟﻠﺔ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﻨﺴﺎﺀ
“May Allaah curse the manly
women.”
Likewise, the other Hadeeth
which ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Abbaas
(may Allaah be pleased with him)
narrated saying: “Allaah’s
Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam) cursed the men who
resemble women and the
women who resemble men.” I
believe that the female students
who graduate from the high
schools or from that which is
above that, then likes of this
Hadeeth or that Hadeeth (the first
one) has not crossed their ears.
And if it be that either of them has
crossed their ears on any day,
then it is from that which goes in
one ear and out of the other ear.
Because the curriculums which
are taught or the lessons which
are given on the basis of them do
not allow the teacher, even if she
may be religious, to go over the
likes of this subject.
It is known within the legislation,
and according to the people who
have knowledge regarding it, that
the basic principle with the man is
that he goes out of his home to
work for the benefit of his family
and his children. On the contrary,
the basic principle regarding the
woman is that she remains
sheltered within her house and
that she does not go out of it
acting in accordance with the
statement of her Lord, the
Blessed and High:
ﻭﻗﺮﻥ ﻓﻲ ﺑﻴﻮﺗﻜﻦ ﻭﻟﺎ ﺗﺒﺮﺟﻦ ﺗﺒﺮﺝ ﺍﻟﺠﺎﻫﻠﻴﺔ
ﺍﻟﺄﻭﻟﻰ
“And stay in your houses, and
do not display yourselves like
that of the times of
ignorance…” (Al-Ahzaab 33:33)
So when the woman came to be
like the man; going out in the
morning, and returning in the
evening; then she came to be, in
that, similar to the man whether
she knows it or not and whether
she realizes it or not.
Due to this, we have not returned
in these later times to seeing the
adolescent virgin girls who are
ashamed to let their vision fall
upon a man. Rather, she, from
the severity of her modesty,
would cast her vision to the
ground to look at her footsteps
while she is walking. We have not
returned to seeing this young lady
who, the likes of her, was well
known; even during the times of
pre-Islamic ignorance, not to
mention during the era of the
early, radiant, pure Al-Islaam. In
this vein, there has come within
the Saheeh, in description of the
Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam) that he: “Was shyer than
a virgin within her dwelling.”
This virgin to whom the leader of
mankind (alayhis-salatu was-
salaam) has been compared in
his shyness, we have not
returned to hearing about her in
this time of ours. That is because
in most instances the women
resemble the men. There is no
doubt that there are many
reasons for this. From the most
prominent of them, is the rule of
the governments of the Kuffaar
over many of the Islaamic lands,
so that their habits, traditions,
tastes, and their manners which
are contrary to the upright
disposition have spread therein.
So the generations of people
have inherited them and the male
and female professors who claim
to guide (the youth) have
accepted them. All of these
(people) have spread amongst
this upcoming generation of
young men and young ladies
what they refer to as equality
between women and men. So this
is from the reasons from the
spread of the scanty amount of
modesty amongst the women
which has made many of them to
be masculine. From that in which
there is no doubt is that the
manliness of the woman makes
her have a presumptive
personality in front of her
husband; perhaps raise her voice
at him, and maybe she will
humiliate him in front of some of
his or her relatives (out of
supposed) superiority on her part
over her husband.
Where is this as it relates to that
which has come in the farewell
advice of the Messenger
(sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) to
the man regarding the women?
This is substantiated by his
(alayhis-Salaam) statement using
a justification which is in complete
opposition to the upbringing
which we see in this present time.
That is his (alayhis-Salaam)
statement:
ﺍﺳﺘﻮﺻﻮﺍ ﺑﺎﻟﻨﺴﺎﺀ ﺧﻴﺮﺍ ، ﻓﺈﻧﻬﻦ ﻋﻮﺍﻥ ﻋﻨﺪﻛﻢ
“Treat the women well, for they
are ‘awaan to you.”
The point of reference is that the
Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam) when he ordered with
good treatment to the women in
this Hadeeth, he (alayhis-Salaam)
justified that by his statement:
ﻓﺈﻧﻬﻦ ﻋﻮﺍﻥ ﻋﻨﺪﻛﻢ
“…for they are ‘awaan to you.”
Meaning, they are like slaves.
The slave is not able to do
anything with his master.
Likewise, is the Muslim woman
who conducts herself with the
correct Islaamic manners. She is,
with her husband, like a slave.
Due to this, he (alayhis-Salaam)
feared for the men to be
excessive, in this befitting
description, towards the women
and thus wield authority over
them, compelling them, and
oppressing them. For this reason
he ordered with good treatment
towards the women and me
mentioned a reason for that; and
that (reason) is his statement:
ﻓﺈﻧﻬﻦ ﻋﻮﺍﻥ ﻋﻨﺪﻛﻢ
“…for they are ‘awaan to you.”
The women today have become
such that the men are not in need
of advice regarding them. Rather,
the affair has changed and
become such that the women are
in need of being advised to treat
the men well because they have
become independent in their jobs
and in their liberties. We often
hear from some of them: “There is
no difference therein between me
and my husband. He is a spouse
and I am a spouse. He is a
partner and I am a partner with
him in life.”
So it is upon the Muslim women
who cling to their religion that if
they are tried with anything from
mixing with this society, that they
try to save themselves from being
affected by anything from this filth
which many of the women have
fallen into because of what we
have mentioned from corruption
in the upbringing and corruption
of the society. This is a reminder
and the reminder benefits the
believer. As-Salaamu Alaykum